Diabetes decisions — 2022

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection due to insufficient opinions regarding the Veteran's claimed conditions and challenges to the competency of the VA examiner who provided an opinion on diabetes.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction secondary to diabetes mellitus, eye disability secondary to diabetes mellitus, and sleep apnea. The TDIU claim prior to January 3, 2019 is also being remanded.

The Board has granted the Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes insipidus, finding that his current condition is related to his active military service. The decision resolves all reasonable doubt in favor of the Veteran.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, type II and hypertension have been granted due to the enactment of the PACT Act. The Veteran is now entitled to a presumption of exposure to herbicide agents based on his service at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base.,The Veteran's claims for kidney disability, nocturia, and obstructive sleep apnea are remanded as they may be secondary to his service-connected diabetes mellitus, type II.

The Board has remanded the TDIU claim due to its inextricability with service connection claims for obstructive sleep apnea, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus type II.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus is granted as service connected due to herbicide exposure at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base.

The Veteran's appeal for service connection for diabetes mellitus, type II, due to in-service exposure to an herbicide agent is remanded. The AOJ must verify the Veteran's alleged exposure and contact relevant parties as per VA regulations.

The Board has remanded the claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's Disease due to in-service herbicide agent exposure. The remand is based on incomplete JSRRC search and a need to verify the Veteran's exposure during his time in South Korea.

The Board denied the Veteran's requests for earlier effective dates for service connection of diabetes mellitus, type II and status-post radical prostatectomy. The effective dates assigned are June 22, 2012 for diabetes mellitus, type II, and April 26, 2012 for status-post radical prostatectomy.

The Veteran's claims for service connection for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hypothyroidism, and sleep apnea (now claimed as soft tissue sarcoma) are granted due to the addition of new evidence showing in-service herbicide exposure. Service connection is granted based on presumptive criteria under PACT Act provisions.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II with erectile dysfunction is rated at 20 percent, the maximum rating available under Diagnostic Code 7913. The Board finds that the evidence does not support a higher rating as the Veteran did not require regulation of activities for his diabetes.

The Board has remanded the Veteran's claims for service connection for coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus type II, both potentially related to herbicide exposure in Korea. The Veteran's personnel records indicate he was stationed near the DMZ but not during the qualifying period. Additional development is needed to verify his claimed exposure.

The Veteran's prostate cancer, ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, type II, and bilateral peripheral neuropathy were denied service connection as they are not related to his active military service.,Service connection for the Veteran's prostate cancer was reopened due to new evidence provided.

The Board denied the Veteran's claims for service connection for peripheral neuropathy of the left upper extremity and a rating in excess of 10 percent for type II diabetes mellitus, finding that there was no evidence to support these claims.

The Veteran's diabetes mellitus type II is rated at 20 percent, and the Board found that a higher rating was not warranted due to lack of functional impairment equivalent to requiring one or more daily injections of insulin, restricted diet, and regulation of activities.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for diabetes mellitus type II, due to exposure to herbicides is granted. The Board finds the Veteran had service in Korea near the DMZ and was exposed to herbicide agents during his active duty.

The Board has granted service connection for diabetic peripheral neuropathy of the right and left lower extremities as secondary to the Veteran's service-connected diabetes mellitus.

The Veteran's claims for higher disability ratings for diabetic neuropathy and diabetic related carpal tunnel syndrome of the upper extremities, as well as bilateral diabetic retinopathy, have been denied.,No compensable rating has been assigned for the Veteran's bilateral diabetic retinopathy.

The Veteran's diabetes and related complications, including peripheral neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, are granted with increased ratings. Service connection for Total Disability Rating Based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU), Dependents' Educational Assistance, and Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) based on loss of use of a creative organ is also granted.

The Veteran's claim for service connection for type II diabetes mellitus was denied, and the Board found that an effective date prior to October 25, 2016 is not warranted.